Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes (2022) User Reviews

Everyone Has To Watch This (If You Haven't Watched The TV Show)

[Littleman95 · 9/10 · 24 June 2022]

Okay, I'll be honest. If you have already watched the TV Show "Chernobyl" of 2019, this is just a bit more, there are not that much more information. The Show actually contains more detailed information, wile this movie is more about "visualize the disaster" in a more detailed way.

In my opinion this movie or the TV Show should be streamed at high school.

Side Note: I want to believe that this movie release in this period is not a political manoeuvre, since there are some tapes that are about "America do better".

Chernobyl is what happened and no one can change it, but what if this disaster happened in another country? Think about that. Also, how many things are silenced by each one of your country? Think about this too before accusing.

Anyway, this is just my opinion, everyone is free to think what everyone wants.

Riveting footage. Bringing light to the reality.

[dianae8256 · 9/10 · 23 June 2022]

Warning: there are some disturbing scenes of the biological effects of radiation poisoning and genetic malformations for those sensitive to those images.

This documentary shows video footage of actual events the HBO drama series Chernobyl trued to recreate. It iis disturbing yet enlightening. Well worth seeing if this event has captured your attention over the years.

I do think its easier to follow if you've seen the HBO docudrama first and especially if you've read the book the series was based on.

Highly recommended as an exposé on how governments can cover the truth too.

Even if you have watched the miniseries I recommend this

[wfredericks · 8/10 · 10 July 2022]

It's informative and gives you new datapoints that you need. Reading the translation is a pain I would have preferred an English narrative speaker. But hearing directly from people who were involved is powerful. I'm sure there is more out there that we haven't seen yet!

[9.5] The questions, the answers

[cjonesas · 9/10 · 23 April 2022]

A harrowing documentary consisting of "archived" footage, tapes and pictures showing through a small informational window the catastrophe that happened on the 26 of April, 1986 and its aftermath up to 1991.

It would have benefited of a longer runtime, as a three-part mini-series, spanning 4 to 4.5 hours. That would have helped more concretely as a comprehensive eye-opener.

Still, as it is, it's a quality effort well worth watching and pondering upon.

To all the heroes who gave their lives in helping and liquidating the fire, graphite, substances and debris right away and in the months that followed, while building the protective sarcophagus. RIP.

Very well done (narration can be turned off)

[ejimie · 10/10 · 29 June 2022]

If you hit the "back" button on your remote (I have a Roku) and then press "play" the robotic narration is turned off. This is an important film and very well done.

If you have interest in Chernobyl you should see this.

[Lufniss · 10/10 · 17 November 2022]

I read the book "Voices From Chernobyl" (incredible book) and watched the docuseries on HBO. The part of the book that I was most fascinated with was the story of Lyuskya and her husband, firefighter Vaskya. She was pregnant when this happened and wouldn't leave her husband's side in the hospital. In the book it details how he was...I suppose melting away would be the best summary. She took care of him until he finally passed on and she wasn't harmed at all because the fetus absorbed all the radiation. I was excited to have seen their story in the docuseries. And here they were again in this documentary, except not only was there video of them with voiceover from Lyuskya but years later she came back home and it's all recorded. From what I've read it's stilly highly radioactive inside enclosed places so it might not have been a great idea if that's true, but an amazing watch nevertheless.

Of course that isn't the only interesting part of this. Real video of the citizens evacuating Pripyat, workers doing their suicide mission of keeping the world from being destroyed and the abnormalities of the offspring of people and animals are to name a few.

The docuseries went into more detail of the trial but this goes through that with little detail to give room for more detailed (but not long enough to be boring) information beyond that which I found interesting.

There are comments about skipping this if you've seen the docuseries but if you have seen that and find it interesting I strongly suggest watching this as well. You'll just have to deal with reading subtitles if you aren't fluent in Russian.

The only thing I was disappointed about was the lack of mention about them turning the carnival rides on and letting people outside to enjoy distraction while getting ready to send them off instead of making them stay inside. The Ferris wheel is an icon and it rusting away was shown quickly in the long abandoned footage of Pripyat but I find it hard to believe that with so many things recorded there was nothing on people enjoying the rides.

If this doc doesn't still some kind of emotion in you, then you are dead inside.

[frankblack-79961 · 10/10 · 29 June 2022]

This is some amazing collection of video out of Soviet Russia. The propaganda, the cover up and the horror of nuclear fission run wild and out of control. If you see this and still feel like we were justified in dropping these bombs on Japan, than you probably are a soulless person. This indeed should be required viewing for students. Yes, it will be very upsetting and uncomfortable in parts. It should be. These are lessons to be taught so that we as humans might be more aware of the consequences of hubris and overreaching government. I will never forget what was shown on this documentary.

Too close to reality

[mutilator-88156 · 8/10 · 3 December 2023]

I became very puzzled by this documentary. Having just watched the 2019 series, it's ridiculous the similarities in structure and storytelling. Obviously it's the same event being covered but specific choices make either the drama or the documentary to look like a lesser effort given which one you watch first. They are too similar.

The impressive real colored footage covered in Lost Tapes would shape the series visuals anyway. But the case of the firefighter and the pregnant wife is too much of a coincidence for a dramatic element to be present on both. My wild guess is that this documentary was ready long before 2022 and the fillmakers just built upon it and it kinda spoils the brilliance of both productions.

This documentary should have been reedited to take a different approach from the series.

Not This One, But That One

[AJx91 · 5/10 · 1 July 2022]

I was hoping that this would be as good, as HBO's 2019 tv mini series.

But it wasn't. In fact, I think lost tapes would have been best used as extras on the live-action Chernobyl.

I felt way more engaged, and constantly wanting to see the next episode, unlike Lost Tapes. It (the 2019 series) even made me go down a rabbit hole of finding out more things about the incident.

Lastly, I agree with williamruckman-73903. Narration wasn't good in The Lost Tapes.